What is the significance behind the names Calvin and Hobbes? - Quora Quora What is the significance behind the names Calvin and Hobbes? I know they refer to John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes. But why? Let me add a few more points to Samarth's more definitive answer. Since Watterson is American, it stands to reason that he may be poking fun at his own countrymen (and women). The philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Calvin had great influence on American culture and thought. Many Calvinists sailed to the New World on the Mayflower, setting up house in the Northeast. Notably, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts had the highest concentration of Calvinists. In other words, many Puritans believed in Calvinism (among other sects). Calvinism deeply influenced Puritan New England culture and government. Arguably, that influence remains, even today. (I've heard Americans called prisses more than once.) Hobbes also had quite an influence, but mostly during the Continential Congress period of the Founding Fathers. Hobbes took a dim view of humans left to their own devices. Hobbes, however, espoused more of an authoritarian government than the Founding Fathers.

(They preferred Locke's view of inalienable rights and natural laws for the government.) The Founding Fathers adopted an Hobbesian view of their own governments, installing a complex system of checks and balances. Basically, Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin, Hanock and the others, in a true Hobbesian fashion, planned for corruption, abuse of power, and other human foibles within our government. Watterson, by naming Calvin and Hobbes after the philosophers may be poking fun at our dour forefathers. In addition to influencing American history and government, Calvin and Hobbes (the dead white dudes) were a dour pair. Calvinism believes in something called "sovereign grace". God determines man's entire fate. God can condemn one man and save another at will. Calvinism, in sum, espouses divine arbitrariness. It's almost like a religious view of chaos. Kind of depressing. Hobbes believed that without government, without the "social compact", humankind will descend into a fiery pit of mass fighting and slaughter. Hobbes thinks that an effective government, to counter man's natural state, must control the military, education, legislative and judicial branch.

I doubt I'd invite either one to a party. One would say, "no matter what you do, some of you are going to hell." The other dude would say, "You're all screwed up, so you need someone to tell you what's up and what's down." Oh, read The Scarlet Letter to see how unfun the Puritans were. Poor Hester, she just wanted some fun. Watterson provides the perfect irony by putting these sticks-in-the-mud in a comic strip. Heh. Best of all, America loves these two depressing guys. ________ Updated Aug 10, 2012 Both Calvin and Hobbes do share the names of philosophers, but I think that is a mixture of coincidence and a conscious attempt by Bill Watterson to give the comic deeper meaning. Interestingly, Calvin was originally going to be called "Marvin" and was only changed in July 1983 after a comic strip by Tom Armstrong having the same name was released in 1982. [1] [2] Later in an interview in 1987, Watterson says that the names "Calvin" and "Hobbes" were " ...

a tip of the hat to the political science department at Kenyon College ... I thought it was pretty funny". This claim is refuted by an early biographer and friend for 30 years, Rich West who says that, "That's not true. The linking of the two names wasn't natural. The strip did not come from the idea that both characters would be named after philosophical thinkers. However, Hobbes was definitely a tip of the hat - and perhaps a bit of a smirk at - his political science degree from Kenyon. Calvin was just a coincidence." Later in the comics, Watterson does end up modeling their characters around their namesakes. For example, John Calvin, a French philosopher, believed in predestination, similar to how Calvin often ponders destiny and blames his faults on other forces. Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher who, after fighting in a British war, had a very dim outlook on humanity. Likewise, Calvin's tiger often finds problems with humanity's stupidity, sharing the philosopher's low opinion of human nature.

[2] Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson: 9.9k Views · View Upvotes · Answer requested by Calvin | The Calvin and Hobbes Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia "Let's go exploring!" -Calvin's last sentence, from It's a Magical World Calvin, named after theologian John Calvin , is the main protagonist of Calvin and Hobbes . He is a perpetually six-year-old boy with a vivid imagination and a habit of getting into trouble and adventure. The comic centers around Calvin's life, his troubles, and his adventures, with Hobbes alongside as his companion. Calvin is characterized by his imagination, philosophy, extensive vocabulary, social awkwardness, and mischievous behavior. Calvin is very cynical and usually gets annoyed with Hobbes. His first piece of dialogue was the first line of the strip and his last line of dialogue was also the strip's final line. Calvin appeared in almost every strip of the series ever printed and published, however there are several strips he does not appear in, those being where his parents or other side characters reflect on Calvin or recent events (such as Calvin's home being broken into).

Contents Main article: Calvin and Hobbes Calvin originated alongside Hobbes as a minor character in one of Bill Watterson's early submissions. The rejected strips, two of which (see left) were published in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes , established Calvin's short-lived Cub Scout membership from the early strips, and also his perception of Hobbes. Calvin's eyes were originally covered by his hair. However, Watterson's syndicate recommended to make the eyes visible, leading to Calvin's later hairstyle. The hair-over-eyes look was reused for Moe and his dodge-ball teammate. Biography Genealogy As any given Calvin and Hobbes strip is contemporary to its publication, Calvin was born in 1979 through 1989, depending on the chosen strip. Calvin is an only son, and his parents go unnamed throughout the entire strip. He has four other known relatives: His uncle Max , brother of his father , who is unmarried and childless. His grandparents, who never appear in person. His maternal grandmother is clearly identified, and the strip mentions "Calvin's grandfather" in such contexts that they appear to be on both sides of the family. The status of his paternal grandmother is unknown, leaving three confirmed living grandparents.

Life Although there is no official progression of events in the comic, a few events in Calvin's life do echo throughout the timeline (sometimes contradictingly): Tracer Bullet , a stereotypical film noir private detective. Behavior Calvin is ill-behaved most of the time. He challenges authority, complains at length and does not see past his own needs and desires. At home, he frequently challenges his parents' authority and complains about the rules he is made to observe, regarding for example: Baths : he has tried several tactics to avoid bathing, up to decoys, and when finally in the tub, he complains about his ordeal. His dislike of baths was stronger and more prominent in later strips. Television : Calvin watches television after dinner until his bedtime, and will often plead to stay up a little longer to watch his program. Calvin is highly mischievous. At school, he has built up, in his principal 's words, quite a file owing to his bad behavior. Mean Spirited Calvin is often extremely sneaky with an extremely nasty sense of humor.

He often targets Susie, his parent and Hobbes in such nasty pranks such as, Hitting them with really hard snowballs, Spraying them with hoses or water guns, And stealing Susie's doll and holding it for ransom. He's also stated numerous times hates being good, especially around Christmas time. Curiosity Calvin asks a wide range of questions, usually to Hobbes or to his parents. Philosophy Calvin has postulated several philosophies throughout the length of the series. Some of them are: Childhood is short and maturity is forever. That environmental issues are important. Animals should be appreciated. Dislike for organized rules and systems. Belief in power of imagination. Dislike and distrust of many aspects of human nature. Social relationships Calvin is somewhat anti-social, with few friends and many enemies. He has said before, "I wish I had more friends, but people are such jerks". Calvin arguing with his parents. His closest, and only stable friend is Hobbes . The occasional dispute aside, they never question their friendship.

Hobbes ' special status owes to his animal nature: Calvin has confessed to Hobbes that he prefers animals over people, and his friend had been a source of comfort to him after unpleasant experiences with his schoolmates, particularly Moe . Calvin's mother Calvin fails to recognize his mother's effort and care toward him, and acts rudely around her. He struggles when told to take his bath, ignores his bedtime, and loudly protests the meals he is served for dinner . The only efforts he acknowledges are those that he doesn't require, such as when he is served hot cocoa after a long day outside in winter. One time Calvin was seen about to eat worms in a bet with Susie, however Calvin's mother arrived, and stopped him from eating the worms. Later, Calvin was relieved, and thanked his mother from stopping him. Calvin's father Calvin looks up to his father and believes even his most outlandish and colorful tales as truth. However, he detests being forced to build character and has vastly different values and philosophy. Whereas his father is a terrific outdoorsman, Calvin prefers to adhere to the television and stay inside during summer.

Also, where Calvin's father sees the need for firm leadership, Calvin desires more laid-back policies and less discipline, and shows his disagreement with his dad through Polls . Calvin stated in one strip that he wanted to be as smart as his father, when his father was telling him one of his myths, Meaning Calvin does have some other connection with his father. Susie Calvin's behavior around neighbor and classmate Susie Derkins is bipolar ; although he goes to great lengths to set up mean-spirited pranks (it was Susie 's arrival that spurred him into creating G.R.O.S.S. ), he has also been seen enjoying and even seeking her company. He joined Hobbes at Susie's birthday party, got her a gift and managed to enjoy her company. On Valentine's Day, shortly after their first encounter, he sent Susie a hate-mail valentine card; later, he was pleased to observe that Susie had noticed his efforts. On at least four occasions, he has agreed to play House with Susie (although the first time he had little choice). Moe Defenseless against Moe 's brute force, Calvin has little choice but to give in to the bully's demands.

These include the dispensing of lunch money, the requisition of facilities that Moe wants access to, and joining the baseball team for fear of humiliation and beatings. Rosalyn Calvin, being naturally hostile to all babysitters, antagonizes Rosalyn . She is actually the person who Calvin fears the most of. His initiatives to postpone his bedtime under her rule (Rosalyn invariably gives Calvin an early bedtime) are mischievous and unsafe, such as locking Rosalyn out of the house and threatening her by stealing her science notes. Only once did he manifest the maturity not to oppose her, and this was in Rosalyn's last appearance. Intelligence Named after 16th century theologian John Calvin, (founder of Calvinism and a strong believer in predestination), Calvin is impulsive, insubordinate, egocentric, bratty, overambitious and obnoxious, but also an imaginative, energetic, curious, and intelligent six-year-old who always acts before he thinks. However, he occasionally does try to show his true, good side in front of Hobbes. Calvin is generally misanthropic,and only feels significant sympathy for non-human animals.

He has a significant admiration for tigers, instituted as a result of his friendship with Hobbes. Once, he even (unsuccessfully) tried to adopt the lifestyle of tigers. Calvin is a poor worker, postponing homework until the last minute and failing to pay attention in class. Despite his glaring lack of effort, he laments the amount of work he is given and insists that his dubious performance is not his responsibility but rather the system's. Although aware of his bad grades, he tends to concoct outrageous boasts, claiming that he will become very powerful and influential in the future without investing any more than he already does. When Calvin does apply himself, it is to fruitless goals; despite not having any ambition to be a palaeontologist, he studies dinosaurs extensively, and his knowledge regarding the content of his comic books is impeccable. This is not to say that Calvin is unintelligent. Despite his low grades, he masters an expansive vocabulary and an advanced sense of irony which even rival those of an adult. Even so, he does not pass up opportunities to learn swear words, which he estimates to know too few of. He is prone to expressing philosophy when going for a stroll in the woods or using vehicles such as his wagon.

His grapples with philosophical quandaries are usually cut short by a banal distraction, mischievous urge or sarcastic retort from either of his parents. Bill Watterson has described Calvin thus: "Calvin is pretty easy to do because he is outgoing and rambunctious and there's not much of a filter between his brain and his mouth." "I guess he's a little too intelligent for his age. The thing that I really enjoy about him is that he has no sense of restraint, he doesn't have the experience yet to know the things that you shouldn't do." "The socialization that we all go through to become adults teaches you not to say certain things because you later suffer the consequences. Calvin doesn't know that rule of thumb yet." "I must admit, that Calvin is good. He's always been my favorite book character and a good read when I'm down in the dumps. He always makes me laugh, and his surly attitude and having Hobbes around really just does it for anyone." Calvin has often been shown to have minor anti-social tendencies. He has wished he were dead, only to then say he really wished that everyone else was dead at least once, and often shows reluctance to join organizations.

For example, story lines involving him as a Cub Scout were dropped because Watterson saw them as uncharacteristic, and, while explaining to Susie on a see-saw why he didn't sign up for recess baseball , says he hates organized sports (as opposed to when he plays Calvinball with Hobbes). Calvin occasionally addresses John Calvin's belief in predestination. Being a short-sighted child who dodges work, Calvin considers predestination as a favorable release from his responsibilities, whereas Hobbes sees it as a threat to individual freedom. School Calvin hates school, imagining multiple times that he blows it up with missiles. His grades are very low, once saying,"You know how Einstein got bad grades in school? Well, mine are even worse!" Whenever it snows, he prays and prays for it to be a snow-day. On one occasion, he saw snow outside, and went parading around the house. His mother tells him it only snowed an inch, and then he says, "snowing an inch is like winning ten cents in the lottery." Although a bad student, Calvin expresses his intelligence by having a very expanded vocabulary, and contemplating issues. He can also create poetry ad-lib, normally in front of Hobbes.

Bill Watterson once said, "Whenever I look at my cats, poems come to my mind," His ad-lib poet skills are probably an unintentional resemblance to Fatty, in Enid Blyton's Mystery series, who can also spout out poetry. Imagination Calvin's imagination far exceeds that of a normal child. His wild imagination may take him to worlds where he does battle with aliens, or it may stay on Earth and use earthly creatures, such as dinosaurs, to perform his imaginative deeds. Imagined Adventures Calvin's thoughts will on many occasions wander to an "alternative reality," or an exaggerated world. Things that happen in the real world, such as his teacher yelling at him, often affect what happens in his imagination. For example, during his daydreaming, Calvin often turns into Spaceman Spiff , while his parents or his teacher pose as the aliens. These alleged adventures, such as traveling back in time to the Jurassic period and photographing dinosaurs , are seen to be imaginary by Calvin's parents and peers, whilst believed by himself. This goes to show that his imagination is overactive, yet he and Hobbes believe that they actually occurred.

Real World Impact When not daydreaming in the middle of his classes, Calvin will also exhibit his imagination in the real world, an example being his turning into Stupendous Man or skipping school as part of a Spaceman Spiff scenario. This will often lead Calvin to injuries or punishment. Imagination Turned Real? Many occasions, things that would have been part of Calvin's imagination happen in real life. For example, Hobbes is a plain stuffed animal to anyone but Calvin, but his actions are real. One time, when Hobbes tied up Calvin during his attempt to be the next Houdini, his father disregards the fact that Hobbes tied Calvin up, yet he couldn't have tied himself up without the help of Hobbes. Also, the Duplicator , an imaginative invention of Calvin's, creates duplicates that act exactly like him, yet a simple cardboard box couldn't have done something to a great technological advance. His imagination, in these cases, caused real things to occur, though it has stirred controversy. Personal life Calvin's personal life is documented to a certain extent. Both Calvin and Hobbes seem to be fans of superhero comic books.

Batman and Astro Boy are the only "real" superheroes Calvin likes; although he is never seen reading any of the comics , there have been a few explicit references in some strips. The strip also contains several made-up, generic superhero comics; among them are Captain Napalm, Nukeman, Captain Nitro, Amazon Girl, and Captain Steroid. Calvin also enjoys Hamster Huey And The Gooey Kablooie, as well as Looney Tunes at one point. Inventions Main article: Calvin's inventions Calvin occasionally makes machines usually made out of a cardboard box (but with some exceptions), which normally lead to disaster. Here is a list of his inventions: Add a photo to this gallery Trivia Calvin writes with both hands, but he's commonly shown to be right-handed. During the baseball strips, Calvin noticeably can be seen wearing a glove on a different hand in each panel. In both his first and last appearances, Calvin is wearing a hat of some kind: a pith helmet in the former and a snow hat in the latter. However if you count the prototype strip as his first appearance. He is wearing a base ball cap. Aside from English, Calvin has briefly spoken German Latin, and some phrase-book Spanish.

Calvin sometimes is shown having a watch, but it disappears between panels. Calvin is creeped out by somnambulists, or sleepwalkers. In one strip, Calvin claimed that he always carries a Swiss army knife. However, no mention of it was ever made again. In the Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, Bill Watterson stated that he wouldn't want Calvin in his house. Calvin was a cub scout in seperate story arcs. Calvin also appears in several 2013 newspaper strips of Pearls Before Swine. Hobbes | The Calvin and Hobbes Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Namesake Always keep petting the tiger. Hobbes is named after 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who had what Watterson described as "a dim view of human nature." Thomas Hobbes is famous for his claim that humans' natural state is one of war, and that there "the life of man [is], solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." Hobbes' personality does not match with the philosopher's worldview. Hobbes is much more rational and aware of consequences than Calvin, but seldom interferes with Calvin's troublemaking beyond a few oblique warnings.

After all, Calvin will be the one to get in trouble for it, not Hobbes. Hobbes' is more playful, loyal, and kind. The only time he usually has doubhts is with Calvin's imaginary inventions (such as his Time Machine and Transmogrifier), which he is a reluctant participant at best. Origins Watterson based some of Hobbes' characteristics, especially his playfulness and attack instinct, on his own pet cat, Sprite. Hobbes takes great pride in being a feline and frequently makes wry or even disparaging comments about human nature, declaring his good fortune to lead a tiger's life. In Calvin's philosophical ramblings, it is evident that Hobbes is usually Bill Watterson's voice on the subject, whereas Calvin usually seems to echo the sentiments (or lack thereof) of modern America. It may otherwise be asserted that Calvin rather portrays an alter-ego of Watterson. Artistic evolution Hobbes certainly changed in appearance over the strip's run. At the beginning of the strip's run, Hobbes was slightly shorter, and his tufts of fur were less defined and shorter. His eyes also had more of a round shape, as opposed to the oval shape of later years.

The most notable change, however, were the pads on Hobbes' hands. Hobbes began looking like his current self around mid-1989. In earlier years, Bill Watterson drew the pads on Hobbes' hands as a reminder that they were really paws, but later removed them on the grounds that he found them to be visually distracting. Reality From Calvin 's point of view, Hobbes is a walking, talking, bipedal tiger, much larger (and often much stronger) than Calvin and full of his own attitudes and ideas. But when the perspective shifts to any other character, readers see merely a little stuffed tiger. This is, of course, an odd dichotomy and leaves in question the nature of Hobbes' reality. Magic vs. imagination Hobbes appears the way Calvin views him in Susie's company Many readers assume that Hobbes is either a product of Calvin's imagination, or a doll that comes to life when Calvin is the only one around. However, both of these theories are incorrect. As Watterson explains in the Tenth Anniversary Book , "Hobbes is more about the subjective nature of reality than dolls coming to life": thus there is no concrete definition of Hobbes' reality.

Watterson explained: "Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way." Hobbes' reality is in the eye of the beholder. The so-called 'gimmick' of Hobbes is the juxtaposition of Calvin and Hobbes' reality and everyone else's, with the two rarely agreeing. There has been more than one instance of Hobbes appearing the way Calvin sees him around another person. One instance is when Calvin loses Hobbes in the first Calvin and Hobbes book, Hobbes is seen as a tiger in the company of Susie Derkins. However, she was facing the other way when it occurred (see picture on right). In a Sunday strip from the same book, the car stops going and Calvin and Hobbes beep the horn hoping for someone to come help. Hobbes is seen as a tiger when Calvin's mother is there, but she isn't looking. There is one strip when Calvin is fighting with Hobbes' and we see Susie's perspective in one panel, but some people think it was Calvin seeing him transform back into his stuffed animal form and expressing confusion.

At one point, Calvin stated that Hobbes was steering, however since Susie was there, the imagination became to 'realism', and Hobbes was riding in the back as a stuffed tiger, displaying a hint about whether Hobbes is real or not. However, it is possible that Calvin took the helm at the last second because Hobbes did a poor job of steering. The panel format, however, makes this impossible to confirm or deny. Sometimes Hobbes breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the reader, such as when Calvin tries to parachute from his house's roof ("His mom's going to have a fit about those rose bushes"). On other occasions, it is difficult to imagine how the "stuffed toy" interpretation of Hobbes is consistent with what the characters see. For example, he "assists" Calvin's attempt to become a Houdini-style escape artist by tying Calvin to a chair. Calvin, however, cannot escape, and his irritated father must undo the knots, all the while asking Calvin how he could do this to himself. In a rare interview, Watterson explained his approach to this situation: Calvin's dad finds him tied up and the question remains, really, how did he get that way?

His dad assumes that Calvin tied himself up somehow, so well that he couldn't get out. Calvin explains that Hobbes did this to him and he tries to place the blame on Hobbes entirely, and it's never resolved in the strip. Again I don't think that's just a cheap way out of the story. I like the tension that that creates, where you've got two versions of reality that do not mix. Something odd has happened and neither makes complete sense, so you're left to make out of it what you want. (Richard Samuel West, "Interview: Bill Watterson", Comics Journal, February 1989.) In response to the journalist's assumption that Hobbes was a figment of Calvin's imagination, Watterson responded, But the strip doesn't assert that. That's the assumption that adults make because nobody else sees him, sees Hobbes, in the way that Calvin does. Some reporter was writing a story on imaginary friends and they asked me for a comment, and I didn’t do it because I really have absolutely no knowledge about imaginary friends. It would seem to me, though, that when you make up a friend for yourself, you would have somebody to agree with you, not to argue with you.

So Hobbes is more real than I suspect any kid would dream up. (Ibid.) In another story, Susie Derkins has to stay at Calvin's house after school because her parents are working late. Calvin only finds this out on the way home; when Calvin and Susie reach the house, Hobbes is waiting by the door for Susie and wearing a tie. But the question is, how is Hobbes wearing the tie? Another instance of ambiguity is a strip in which Calvin imagines Hobbes and himself on the front page of many newspapers after winning a contest. Although these newspapers are clearly a figment of Calvin's imagination, Hobbes appears in "stuffed" form. Calvin has taken photographs of Hobbes, but on each occasion, when adults see the pictures, Hobbes appears as a stuffed toy. Also Hobbes pounces on Calvin when he arrives home from school. The issue remains about how Calvin would hurt himself as such. Another theory One probable theory as to Hobbes' existence springs from the first two strips.

In these strips, immediately after Calvin caught Hobbes he takes him home and asks his father what to do with him, to which his father replies "take it home and stuff it." It is clearly depicted that Calvin mistakes this and feeds Hobbes. From this springs the belief that perhaps the reason that Calvin's parents don't see Hobbes as real is that they just assume he's stuffed. After all, psychology has shown that people may not always see something that's plainly obvious if it conflicts with what they are inherently predisposed to believing. Thus, the reason people don't see Hobbes as real is because their brains can't grasp that he could be real, and that it takes Calvin's complex imagination to believe it. TVTropes calls this Scully Syndrome . A character, seeing something in conflict with what he/she believes, censors it out. The Trope Namer is The X-Files: Agent Scully is a staunch skeptic, and therefore refuses to believe in alien life at first, even when it's plainly obvious and there's hard evidence in front of her. This is, in fact, the only rational explanation.

Whenever Hobbes pounces, Calvin clearly is dirty, beaten up, and anything you would expect from a six-foot tiger ramming into you at 20 mph. Hobbes always accompanies Calvin to the bus stop, and always returns home unaccompanied. When Hobbes cut Calvin's hair, the effects were clearly noticeable by anyone. Hobbes once tied Calvin to a chair after Calvin claimed he would escape and be the "Next Houdini." Calvin was unable to escape. His hands were tied to the arms of the chair, making it impossible for him to have done it himself, as the endpoint to tighten the knot was on the backrest. When Susie was invited to stay at Calvin's house for a day, Calvin was not informed until his mom told him. And yet, Hobbes was waiting at the door with a tie. If Hobbes was a figment of Calvin's imagination, then 1) how did he know Susie would be coming and 2) how did he put on the tie? Conclusion Many people feel that the blurred reality between Hobbes' two forms is both amusing and philosophical. Hobbes is often the voice of reason, contrasting Calvin's manic impulsiveness.

Readers are left to wonder if this rationality is in Hobbes as a distinct personality, or in Calvin as a kind of conscience. In the end, the question becomes less about absolute truth and more about different versions of reality: the nature of Hobbes' existence was never a puzzle to be solved, but rather a subtle comment on the power of imagination, and on the similar power of a lack thereof. All in all, Hobbes is real if one believes he is. Trivia Hobbes had a tendency of shortening words (ex: "Hobbes' Creek" becomes "Hobs Crk") Hobbes' I.Q. is debatable. In some comics, he seems as if he was an utter genius. However, in the first strip, he contradicts this, saying "We're kind of stupid that way", in response to Calvin saying "Tigers willll do anything for a tuna fish sandwich". Also, in many other comics, especially in comics where Calvin has a math problem, he is as dumb as Calvin and makes up math formulas such as "Y as in Y do we care?".

However, he may just be fooling Calvin, shown with his reaction to Calvin believing three dimes was less than a quarter: "I think you better study harder." Hobbes also seems to have some knowledge of more advanced mathematics, referring at one point to imaginary numbers whilst helping Calvin with his math homework; he, however, appears to have no actual understanding for how these terms are used, or, indeed, what they mean. Hobbes, in most cases, is in love with Susie Derkins , but mainly girls in general. Hobbes is often so sarcastic to Calvin that he has to chase Hobbes madly with him 'Whoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!'-ing, most likely a reference to Tigger from "Winnie the Pooh." Also, in one strip, Hobbes says "Toodle-Doo" which could be another reference to Tigger, as that is something Tigger would say. Hobbes often causes Calvin some problems.

The examples are as followed: the time he tied Calvin up willingly to a chair; when he scratched the floor in "defeat"; when Hobbes eats like an animal, spreading mess everywhere; the time when he beat up Calvin for his lunch, and his daily pouncings when Calvin is coming home from school. Hobbes is a specific breed of tiger - he is a Bengal Tiger. Hobbes has once mentioned that he has/had a father. The rest of the information about Hobbes' family is unknown. Hobbes doesn't like Calvin's cardboard box. He doesn't want to be "transmogrified or duplicated or whatever". Unlike Calvin, Hobbes is not addicted to cartoons, or television altogether. Hobbes does not like Calvin's cereal, " Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs ", for he says that it makes his heart skip. It is rumored that Calvin's parents put Hobbes in the trap as an "imaginary" friend. Hobbes likes to draw on Calvin's comic books. Hobbes always like to surprise Calvin while Calvin says "I'm Home!" and Hobbes does his famous pounce. It is unspecific when Hobbes and Calvin met.

It appears as though they met after Hobbes was captured by Calvin in the first strip. A later strip contradicts this, with Hobbes remembering Calvin's behavior as an infant ("I seem to recall you spent most of your time burping up"), while another strip has him remember nothing about Calvin as a baby. It's also been said that Hobbes was just "a stuffed animal," given to little Calvin at his earliest age. Possibly, Calvin did not truly recognize Hobbes as a real tiger until he turned six (when the strip started.). In comic strips where Hobbes' drawings are included, Bill Watterson usually signed "& Hobbes" next to his signature. This would appear as & Hobs. He also seems to like watching television, specifically nature programs. In multiple strips, he is seen watching the animal programs on National Geographic. Hobbes is shown to be in love with "those Tigress Babes they showed in the April issue", and also describes what he likes in women, saying "Redheads, (probably meaning nice dark red tigresses) green eyes, and long whiskers.".

Revisiting John Calvin's Reformation - US - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com Revisiting John Calvin's Reformation Ad Feedback If you want to see clear evidence of the connection between God and the United States, look at the life and beliefs of the Protestant reformer, John Calvin. July marks the 500th anniversary of his birth. Calvin never stepped foot on American soil, but his influence in the founding of this country is difficult to deny. 'Father of America' CBN News took to the streets to discover that most people today associate the name, Calvin, with the comic strip character Calvin, of Calvin and Hobbes, or Calvin Klein. That is a shame according to Dr. Charles Dunn, dean of the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. Dunn agreed with the late Harvard historian George Bancroft who wrote, "He that will not honor the memory and respect the influence of Calvin knows but little of the origin of American liberty." Bancroft even called Calvin "the father of America." "We might dispute the degree to which he was the father of America," Dunn said.

"But no one had as great an influence over such a breadth of ideas as John Calvin." Calvin developed many of those ideas while he was pastor of St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva beginning in 1536 with ideas that transformed the city. Those ideas included education for the masses, not just the elite; the sacredness of all professions, not just the ministry; free market economic reforms; and checks and balances in civil government. "He understood the nature of government that you cannot grant power to just one authority because power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Dunn said. "So there must be checking of power with power." These are ideas the early settlers brought to America a century later and appeared in documents like the Mayflower Compact and the U.S. Constitution. Significant Works But perhaps Calvin's most significant work was his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Dunn called it "The most brilliant theological document since the New Testament." Five centuries later, it is still in print in two volumes. In it, Calvin set out to explain what the Bible had to say about God, man, creation, sin, justification by faith, the church and the sacraments, among other things.

But the theme throughout is the sovereignty of God in all of life, including salvation. Today, Calvinism, or reformed theology as it is also called, is a small minority of the evangelical movement. But it is making a comeback in places many evangelicals have avoided. Redeemer Presbyterian Church in the heart of Manhattan, N.Y., is drawing hundreds each week to hear the preaching of Reverend Tim Keller. And at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Wash., Mark Driscoll uses an edgy, multi-media presentation to tackle Calvinism's most controversial doctrines, including predestination. Calvin Doctrines "Some Christians say God chose those that He knew would choose Him," Driscoll exclaimed in one sermon, "The only problem is the Bible says no one seeks God, no one looks for God, no one desires God, no one chooses God." Mars Hill is one of many churches countering the popular notion that Calvinism is too traditional, even stodgy. Driscoll characterizes himself as a "Charismatic Calvinist." And he is one of the reasons Time magazine recently proclaimed "The New Calvinism" one of the 10 ideas changing the world right now.

Nowhere is Calvinism's resurgence more obvious than on college campuses across the country. In fact, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, one of the most popular campus ministries is called Reformed University Fellowship. On the night CBN News visited the campus, more than 100 students turned out for what amounted to a Tuesday evening worship service. Kelly Lersch, who attends regularly, was surprised by how many people participated. "People come and they bring their Bibles and I wasn't used to that growing up in church," she said. "I mean, you talked about what the Bible says, but you didn't really bring your Bible to church and so, yeah, that was really different." Greg Thompson is senior pastor at Charlottesville's Trinity Presbyterian Church, popular among University of Virginia students. He told CBN News what he heard from them when they first encounter reformed doctrine. "I didn't know the world mattered so much," he said. "I didn't know the Bible mattered so much. I didn't know I was so messed up and how sufficient Jesus' work for me, my salvation. This is big. And, of course, it is big." And that realization, Thompson said, brings a cultural benefit that Geneva saw during Calvin's time.

Calvinism and Young People He said Calvinism is providing young people who want to be social activists with "a theology that's basically born out of the goodness of Creation, the radical corruption of the Fall and Jesus's salvation; His lordship over all things, not must my little soul." Calvinism's resurgence is the subject of the book Young, Restless, Reformed written by Christianity Today's Collin Hansen. "There's a need for a rigorous Christianity; a Bible-based, rigorous Christianity that can hold up during these times," Hansen said. "Even a place like Time magazine is recognizing that an evangelicalism that tries to parrot the culture around is an evangelicalism that will perish with the culture around it." Hansen is hopeful that more Christians will revisit and reclaim the tenants of the Reformation that transformed a church and a city five centuries ago. *Originally published July 16, 2009

Question: In the cartoon, what is the name of 'Calvin's' friend and confidante?
Answer: 'HOBBES'